LONG
HAUL ROCK N ROLL FOR TRAILER TRASH LOVERS - Interstater (Road Warrior)
Young Melbourne five-piece Interstater begin their recording career with a six track CDEP which shows their collective fervour for bands such as Black Flag, The Sex
Pistols,
The Clash, The Hard Ons, Bored!, The Cosmic Psychos and The Lime Spiders. Interstater formed in 1998 and are Mick Bunworth (vocals), Cory and Matt O' Bryan (guitars), Merinda Beasley (bass) and Paul Battifora (drums), with Matt Pepperall contributing bass to several tracks for "Long Haul Rock-n-Roll for Trailer Trash Lovers" . The EP opens with "Soldiers Requiem" and will instantly bring to mind a mixture of early '80s UK punk vocals, with solid Australian rock backing (with a touch of hardcore). "New Rome" follows and I can't help but notice the nod towards Geelong legends Bored! plus some decidely stadium rock influenced sounds.
"Mahogany" allows the band to pull back the pace and draws on the Lime Spiders' earlier sound. The band then gets back to its '80s Californian hardcore roots in "Interstater" which possibly provides the highlight of the EP. Here, the rhythm section are incredibly unshakeable and Cory and Matt O' Bryan are meshing tightly on guitars. "Interstater" segues into "New Royals" and the band returns to '80s Australian rock roots, rounding out the disc in solid and energetic style. An impressive debut effort. - Simon Li
